Fate and Destiny
by khaleesithemotherofdragons
Summary: It's a dream come true for Prudence King as she has a scholarship and a place at Art School but when she meets a blast from the past that changes her world completely, was Art School really her destiny or does her destiny lie with Rax?
1. Chapter 1

"That's just it Toby, two hours of work and the rest I get to spend in my own studio." I held onto his shoulders and jumped up and down. There was one week to go before I was off too Brighton School of Art with my scholarship to do my art degree. I finished Kingtown with five A* (one happened to be in Maths!) and 6 A grades. It was a dream come true. I went off to college to do Art for two years and that's when I got the scholarship and nailed the place at Brighton.

Toby finished Wentworth and was in his third year of an apprenticeship. After struggling with dyslexia, he finished with a B in English; it was a moment of triumph for him. But the rest of his grades weren't as good as he hoped and he went to do an apprenticeship in construction. He was doing well; it was the perfect thing for him.  
>We met up for our weekly catch-up coffee in the shopping centre. We settled down on a corner table, talking about my course. I saw his eyes widen over my shoulder and I turned my head to see what caught his attention. At the counter having his order taken and standing in a suit was Mr Raxberry – my old art teacher. I felt my whole body freeze and I hoped he wouldn't turn in this direction. He had no intention to until Toby shouted, "Hey Rax!"<p>

His head turned in our direction just as I turned my face away, blushing and glaring at Toby under my hand. I heard him say hello and soft footsteps getting louder. I hid my face more, I couldn't bear seeing him. It has been over 4 years.

"Gosh Toby, it must have been two years since we last saw each other! How are you doing?" He asked.

"Not bad Rax, not bad. I'm still doing my apprenticeship; they said if I impress them this year then it might become permanent." Toby replied.

"Well done!" I heard the pat of a shoulder.

"Prue here is off to Brighton School of Art! But there's no surprise there really, is there?" Toby said. I closed my eyes and thought to myself _oh god, oh god, oh god_.

"Oh my, Prudence King!" I heard Rax gasp, "I thought I recognised you." I lifted my head from my hands and managed a smile. He looked better now a days, younger, and there wasn't a beard anymore, just a small amount of stubble. A sexy amount of stubble. His earring was gone. "But haven't you changed! And I always knew you would go on to study art!" He finished.

"Yeah, well I can't take a scholarship for granted." I slipped in, holding a smile on my face.

"A scholarship." He repeated. "I am so happy for you Prue, and so proud." He smiled, sounding really sincere and he reached for my arm. I felt myself flinch and my cheeks burn, just like they did when he first touched me all those years ago.

"Well, I've got to head to work." He said, standing up to leave, "I don't want to be late. Goodbye Toby, goodbye Prue. See you around." He shook Toby's hand and then mine before picking up his jacket and leaving the coffee shop. I watched him leave until he was completely gone from my sight and I turned back to Toby, his eyes fixed on me.

"I knew you still liked him!" He laughed.

I didn't say anything. I just held tight to the piece of paper that Rax left in my hand.


	2. Chapter 2

I held the piece of paper in one hand, printed on it was Rax's mobile phone number. Tucked in my other hand was my mobile phone. I spent over an hour debating whether to text him or leave it. I did what my heart told me – text him. _Hey_ I started _its Prue; it was nice to see you earlier!_ I wondered whether it would be appropriate to put an 'x' on the end but I left it as it was and clicked send, my heart thumping against my chest.

It was only two minutes but it felt like two hours before his reply came through. _Hello Prue! I didn't expect a text from you. Yes, it was lovely to see you! You have grown up so much – what's with the new hair? _

I laughed quietly to myself, stroking my hair. I was no longer long, brown and curly. I had that all cut off, layered, feathered and bleached. I felt it suited me better as a person and as an artist. It's often tied back in a scruffy bun, fringe tucked behind my ears. _I still don't look after it! It's still wild and wacky, like me. How have you been, Rax?  
><em>His replies came through a lot quicker. _Wild and wacky. It's good to hear you're still the same old Prue. I've been good thanks, how about you?  
><em>  
>We were talking for hours, right through until 3am. I was a lot happier in a bigger house with my own room, no more Grace pestering me or snoring all through the night. I could only imagine what she would be like right now if we still shared rooms. 'Prue, tell me what he's saying!' 'Oh Prue, this is like a fairy tale!' I could see her bouncing on my feet at the end of the bed.<p>

My heart stopped when I received his last text of the night, _Come to mine for coffee tomorrow. I have the day off work. Do you know those apartments on Brays avenue? I'm in there, floor 3, flat 6. Goodnight._

* * *

><p>I left my house looking elegant the following morning, the apartments were only a short walk away. I stood outside staring up at the third floor for ten minutes before I made the effort to ring the buzzer. A raspy voice buzzed through the speaker, "<em>Prue?<em>" it asked.

I held down the talk button. "Hey, let me in!"

The door clicked open and I closed it behind me. I walked up the stairs, my hand grasped tightly around the banister. As I got to the third floor, I heard a door open. I looked up and saw Rax smiling in the door way, leaning on the door frame. I took a long deep breath before I walked over to him. He moved out of the way and beckoned me inside. Rax closed the door behind me and took my coat. My heart fluttered as I felt his hand brush my back. I slipped off my shoes and walked into his living room.  
>I was taken by surprise at how beautiful his flat was. His windows looked out onto acres of green and forest, a plasma screen television was hanging on the wall facing a three seated cream leather sofa. The kitchen and dining area was up the other end of the room, his fridge had two doors and the marble counters were connected to the wall.<p>

On the wall in front of me hung a picture of a beautiful little blonde girl and boy.

"Is that Lily and Harry?" I turned to ask.

He came and stood next to me, facing the photo and smiling. "Yes, ha! Harry is in year 5 now, Lily is in year 2. Harry wants to be Spiderman, Lily wants to be a fairy." I heard him laugh.

I smiled at how highly he spoke of them. "I can't help but notice that there is no Marianne?"

He sighed. "I forgot how forward you were Prudence. We got divorced last year. She was fed up with my art but I wasn't going to give up, I live for art." He sounded sad.

"I'm… I'm sorry I asked." I whispered.

He laughed. "No, no, don't you worry Prue!"

"You shouldn't give up something you're passionate towards, not for anybody." I said.

"I know." He turned and smiled at me. I smiled back, my cheeks burning. There was intense silence for a moment as we looked intently into each other's eyes. He was the one who broke the silence. "Tea? Coffee? Juice?" He asked, wandering over to the kitchen. I shuffled a bit closer and answered "Tea, no sugar. Thanks."

We sat down next to one another on his leather sofas keeping a little distance. I could hear quiet, nervous laughs escaping from his mouth, ones similar to what I was trying to hide.

"What?" I turned and asked, taking a sip of my tea.

"It's amazing seeing you after all these years when I was thinking of you only two or three days ago! And how much you've grown up!" He said.

"How did you even recognise me?" I asked.

"How could I forget you?"

"I was just a student with a little crush on you. I was gone after a few months and we never saw each other. You had Marianne and Harry and Lily…" I whispered, my voice trailing off. It hurt to think of the last day we saw each other, how it had broken my heart and how I was still madly in love with him, even after 4 years.

I felt his hand rubbing my arm to comfort me. "I told you I could never forget you." His voice was quiet now, his eyes looking into mine. We were silent for a few moments, unspoken words floating in the air around us. Again, he was the one to break it.

"You're beautiful." He said, stroking the hair that had fallen in front of my eyes.

I felt my cheeks burn and my heart beat faster. I lifted my head to look at him, he leaned in closer. I could smell his aftershave and his fabric softener so I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, leaning in closer until our foreheads were touching.

"I thought about you every day. I dream about you every night." My voice was quiet, maybe a little too quiet, I hoped he heard me.

"There hasn't been one day where you haven't been on my mind Prue. It drove me insane not seeing you around Wentworth. Not seeing you at all." He replied, I felt his warm breathe on my cheek.

I opened my eyes and looked at him, his eyes were closed and his face was relaxed. He was smiling. I wanted to kiss him, wanted to badly but I had to rush home, Mum needed me to sort out cash for the shop. Rax opened his eyes as I began to pull away.

"I need to go home." I said, slipping on my shoes and grabbing my jacket. "I'm sorry. Can we see each other again? I'm going to art school on Friday."

"Of course." He answered, smiling at me. "I'll drop you a text." He opened the door to let me out. "Goodbye Prue."

"Goodbye Rax." I tiptoed and kissed his cheek before rushing down the stairs and towards home.

* * *

><p>It took me longer than usual to cash up the shop because all I could think of Rax. Mum didn't ask many questions, just the normal how was he and what was he up to now a days. This answered Grace's questions too so it was a surprisingly quiet evening.<p>

Rax had planned a dinner date for us tomorrow. He was cooking! I headed to bed early, eager to get enough beauty sleep.  
>That night I lay in bed, eyes closed, dreaming of Rax.<p>

**Hi guys, apologies for not leaving an authors note for the last chapter. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Leave your reviews!**


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